Thursday, May 19, 2016

Kyle Wade has spent over half his life seeking justice for his mother’s brutal murder at the hands of the serial killer known as C.H.K. His efforts lead him to Nicole Chambers, a woman he quickly develops strong feelings for.

Now he’s torn between keeping Nicole safe, or using her as bait to capture the monster stalking her.

Nicole
paced nervously, waiting for Kyle to return. She’d thrown on her workout
clothes; a black pair of Capris, a long purple T-shirt with large cut-out
armholes, and a black sports bra that peeked out from underneath. She was
covered practically from head to foot, so why did she get so nervous thinking
about Kyle seeing her in the outfit?

Because
he’ll be touching me, that’s why. And though not as daring as what a lot of the women wore at the
club, it still showed far more skin than Nicole was used to, except when she
was working out. Did this qualify?

This is
a bad idea.

Her
doorbell rang out.

She took a steadying breath. Too late to back out.

When she
opened the door and Kyle saw her, his eyes lit with a smoldering fire. But all
he said was, “Ready?” as he moved past her, greeting her dog, “Hey, Charlie.

Taking a
moment to close the door, and calm her jittery nerves, she turned back to him.
The desire she’d so clearly recognized in his heated stare, had lessened to a
more neutral expression.

He nodded
toward the living room, where she’d pushed the furniture out of the way,
clearing a large spot in the middle. “You should have waited for me to help.”

Nicole
rolled her eyes. “Please. I do vacuum, you know. The furniture doesn’t move
itself.”

A slightly
crooked smile curved Kyle’s lips as Charlie headed over to his dog bed for a
nap. “Suppose not.”

Her
stomach fluttered. He was too damn charming for his own good. How in the hell
was she supposed to resist him? No men rule, remember. Gah! What a dumb
rule. What had she been thinking?

Maybe
that your taste in men is crap, and you needed a good long break after the last
guy you dated almost killed you.

Oh, yeah.
That was it.

Kyle moved
to the center of the room, looking all too fine in a pair of tight jeans that
hugged his ass. He waved her over with two crooked fingers. Her cheeks flamed,
hoping he hadn’t caught her checking him out. But by the smirk on his face, she
figured he had.

“Now,” he
said as she approached, his tone shifting to all business. “If someone tries to
grab you, whatcha gonna do?”

“Um. Run
away?”

He nodded.
“That might work. But, let’s say he manages to get ahold of you. What then?”

She licked
her dry lips, nerves rolling around in her stomach. “Is this a trick question?”

The smile
that split his face stole her breath. Gone was the serious tenant-slash-police
officer from her backyard cottage. The man who stood before her now was a
total, flat out, hands-down, no-question-about-it, hottie. His sex appeal exploded into the
room like an atomic bomb filling up every nook and cranny.

And in
just a minute or so, he was going to put his hands on her.

Ohmygod.
Trouble. Seriously.

Maybe this
really wasn’t such a good idea—

Nicole
screamed when she was suddenly grabbed and her back brought up against Kyle’s
chest. One arm clamped around her waist, the other across her throat.

Her
natural instinct was to struggle, but he had one leg wrapped around her shins,
totally immobilizing her. The heat from Kyle’s body burned her up, and she
wasn’t unaware of the rising bulge against the small of her back. Excitement
tickled through her.

Charlie
let out a little bark, but only lazily watched them. She scowled at him. Some
guard dog!

Mouth
pressed against her ear, Kyle murmured in a seductive drawl, “If I were the bad guy,
sweetheart, your pretty little ass would be mine right now.”

Nicole
paced nervously, waiting for Kyle to return. She’d thrown on her workout
clothes; a black pair of Capris, a long purple T-shirt with large cut-out
armholes, and a black sports bra that peeked out from underneath. She was
covered practically from head to foot, so why did she get so nervous thinking
about Kyle seeing her in the outfit?

Because
he’ll be touching me, that’s why. And though not as daring as what a lot of the women wore at
the club, it still showed far more skin than Nicole was used to, except when
she was working out. Did this qualify?

This is
a bad idea.

Her
doorbell rang out.

She took a
steadying breath. Too late to back out.

When she
opened the door and Kyle saw her, his eyes lit with a smoldering fire. But all
he said was, “Ready?” as he moved past her, greeting her dog, “Hey, Charlie.

Taking a
moment to close the door, and calm her jittery nerves, she turned back to him.
The desire she’d so clearly recognized in his heated stare, had lessened to a
more neutral expression.

He nodded
toward the living room, where she’d pushed the furniture out of the way,
clearing a large spot in the middle. “You should have waited for me to help.”

Nicole
rolled her eyes. “Please. I do vacuum, you know. The furniture doesn’t move
itself.”

A slightly
crooked smile curved Kyle’s lips as Charlie headed over to his dog bed for a
nap. “Suppose not.”

Her
stomach fluttered. He was too damn charming for his own good. How in the hell
was she supposed to resist him? No men rule, remember. Gah!
What a dumb rule. What had she been thinking?

Maybe
that your taste in men is crap, and you needed a good long break after the last
guy you dated almost killed you.

Oh, yeah.
That was it.

Kyle moved
to the center of the room, looking all too fine in a pair of tight jeans that
hugged his ass. He waved her over with two crooked fingers. Her cheeks flamed,
hoping he hadn’t caught her checking him out. But by the smirk on his face, she
figured he had.

“Now,” he
said as she approached, his tone shifting to all business. “If someone tries to
grab you, whatcha gonna do?”

“Um. Run
away?”

He nodded.
“That might work. But, let’s say he manages to get ahold of you. What then?”

She licked
her dry lips, nerves rolling around in her stomach. “Is this a trick question?”

The smile
that split his face stole her breath. Gone was the serious tenant-slash-police
officer from her backyard cottage. The man who stood before her now was a
total, flat out, hands-down, no-question-about-it, hottie. His sex appeal
exploded into the room like an atomic bomb filling up every nook and cranny.

And in
just a minute or so, he was going to put his hands on her.

Ohmygod.
Trouble. Seriously.

Maybe this
really wasn’t such a good idea—

Nicole
screamed when she was suddenly grabbed and her back brought up against Kyle’s
chest. One arm clamped around her waist, the other across her throat.

Her
natural instinct was to struggle, but he had one leg wrapped around her shins,
totally immobilizing her. The heat from Kyle’s body burned her up, and she
wasn’t unaware of the rising bulge against the small of her back. Excitement
tickled through her.

Charlie
let out a little bark, but only lazily watched them. She scowled at him. Some
guard dog!

Mouth
pressed against her ear, Kyle murmured in a seductive drawl, “If I were
the bad guy, sweetheart, your pretty little ass would be mine right now.”

My writing career began in 2011, after my wonderful husband bought me a Kindle for Christmas and changed my world. I started reading romance novels, and fell in love with them. I decided to write one myself, and disappeared into my room over a long Wisconsin winter and wrote my debut novel, PROTECTING ROSE. I submitted to a few publishing houses and was offered a contract with Soul Mate Publishing, which I quickly accepted.

PROTECTING ROSE went on to win the 2012 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence in the romantic suspense category. Well, I was hooked.

Today, I'm a multi-published, award-winning author, and live in Wisconsin with my husband Patrick. I love to read, play piano, and spend time with family and friends. I enjoy novels with fast-paced action and steamy romance, protective alpha men and strong heroines. I belong to several writing groups, including Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Sisters in Crime.

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Cheryl is also an Acquisitions Editor for Soul Mate Publishing. As an Editor, she welcomes Romantic Suspense, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Contemporary, and Erotica. You can reach her at Cheryl@SoulMatePublishing.com